Department for Transport

Commonwealth Games 2022: Travel

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate provision of transport options for (a) Bosworth and (b) other constituents to watch the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Chris Heaton-Harris: A key part of delivering a successful Commonwealth Games is about making sure transport works effectively, both for those living and working around Games locations and for those involved in or who wish to watch the Games. Local Games transport partners, such as the West Midlands Combined Authority, Birmingham City Council and the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee, are working together leading on transport preparations and planning for the Birmingham Games. Government is supporting the preparations by bringing forward the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Bill. The Bill includes a small number of temporary measures which are essential to the successful operation of the Games, including on transport. The measures set a statutory basis for a Games Transport Plan - to minimise the risk of relying on voluntary arrangements to coordinate Games transport planning- and provide bespoke traffic regulatory powers, allowing short term changes of road use - where needed - to ensure minimal disruption to those travelling to and from the Games.

Railways: Coronavirus

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that train operating companies and their subcontractors use a deep cleaning service to help mitigate the spread of covid-19 on public transport.

Chris Heaton-Harris: To help tackle the spread of coronavirus, rail operators and Network Rail are doing more to ensure our trains and stations are clean. The kinds of steps being taken include a greater focus on cleaning high-touch areas in trains and at stations (such as hand rails and ticket machine screens), more intensive cleaning and ensuring toilets are well stocked with soap. In addition, they are also ensuring their staff are kept aware of the latest advice to maintain good hand hygiene. They are also promoting the public health advice for everyone to wash their hands regularly and to ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ when they cough or sneeze.

A63: Kingston upon Hull

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans he has for an early decision on the Development Consent Order for the A63 Castle Street Improvements in Kingston-Upon-Hull.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Secretary of State is currently considering the Development Consent Order application for the A63 Castle Street Improvements in Kingston-Upon-Hull. The statutory deadline for determining the application is 24th March.

Transforming Cities Fund: Portsmouth

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date will Portsmouth city council receive a decision on its application to the Transforming Cities Fund.

Kelly Tolhurst: At Budget, on 11 March, the Government announced that 9 of the 12 shortlisted city regions that were invited to bid for Tranche 2 of the Transforming Cities Fund had made successful bids and will each receive a share of the £1.22 billion available from 2019-20 to 2022-23. Portsmouth were one of three cities whose proposals need to be further refined in order to proceed to investment. The Department will continue to work with Portsmouth this year to develop a package of proposals that could secure them a share of the £1.22 billion.

Rail Review

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Williams Rail Review will be published before the Easter 2020 recess.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Williams Rail Review white paper is expected to be published before the summer recess.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using low-order underwater unexploded ordnance disposal technology in preparation for construction of offshore wind farms.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the (a) economic and (b) environmental effect of using low order underwater unexploded ordnance disposal technology to clear the seabed in preparation for construction of offshore wind farms.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department does not assess or licence the clearance of unexploded ordnance for offshore windfarms. Licenses for the removal of unexploded ordnance are issued by the Marine Management Organisation which sits in Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). As part of their licensing process they assess environmental and other issues related to the proposed clearance. As part of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, published on 7 March 2019, the department and Defra are working closely with the sector and wider stakeholders to address strategic deployment issues associated with offshore wind.

Wind Power: Solar Power

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to commence his policy on enabling onshore wind and solar power projects.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Onshore wind and solar have already been deployed successfully in the UK with appropriate local support, generating enough electricity in 2018 to power over 11 million homes and producing nearly 13% of the UK’s electricity. Government announced on Monday 2 March that onshore wind and solar projects will be able to bid for contracts in the next Contracts for Difference allocation round planned to open in 2021. We will announce the auction parameters and auction timings in due course.

Directors: Females

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of board members who are women for energy companies operating in the UK.

Kwasi Kwarteng: For energy companies in the FTSE350, an average of 31.8% of board positions are now held by women up from 27.9% in 2018. We support the work of POWERful Women, a campaigning organisation committed to advancing gender diversity across the energy sector. Data compiled by this organisation can be found at: http://powerfulwomen.org.uk/board-statistics-by-company/ .

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cambodia and Vietnam: British Nationals Abroad

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many cases in which a UK citizen was a victim of a serious crime in (a) Cambodia and (b) Vietnam did the UK (i) embassy and (i) local consular offices support in each of the last three years.

Nigel Adams: For the last three years the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has provided consular assistance to victims of crime in Cambodia and Vietnam as shown below. The FCO does not distinguish between victims of crimes and victims of serious crimes when recording consular cases. 201720182019Victim of CrimeCambodiaVietnamCambodiaVietnamCambodiaVietnamAssault031225Domestic Abuse011000Modern Slavery/Human Trafficking000010Rape & Sexual Assault654523Murder/ Manslaughter000000Theft61029963Data regarding consular cases is published monthly on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Consular Data pages of GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-commonwealth-office-consular-data-2019#history

Greece: Turkey

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the recent EU discussions with the Government of Turkey over tensions at the Turkey-Greece border.

Wendy Morton: We are concerned by the situation on the Greece-Turkey border. We remain committed to supporting Greece and Turkey's efforts to manage migration effectively and are working both bilaterally and with our international partners to this end. On 3 March, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary discussed the issue with their Turkish counterparts and we have discussed it with the Greek Foreign Minister. We welcome ongoing discussions between the EU and Turkey and continue to support the implementation of the EU-Turkey deal, which is crucial in effectively managing migratory flows.

Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to consult civil society organisations throughout the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.

James Cleverly: The Integrated Review will be a wholescale reassessment of our foreign, defence, security and development policy. The Review will define and strengthen Britain's place in the world at a time when the global landscape is changing dramatically. We will consult inside and outside Government, ensuring some of the UK's best minds are feeding into its conclusions and challenging traditional Whitehall assumptions and thinking.

Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that continuing progress on Sustainable Development Goal 5 is included in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.

James Cleverly: The Government continues to champion girls' education through the 'Leave No Girl Behind' campaign, and at the UN General Assembly in September 2019, the Prime Minister announced £515 million to provide over 12 million children - half of them girls - with a decent education. We will continue to lead the way globally on preventing and responding to all forms of gender-based violence. The Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) International Conference - Time For Justice: Putting Survivors First, will bring together countries from around the world to focus on justice and accountability.As we conduct the Integrated Review our guiding lights will remain the values of free trade, liberal democracy, human rights and the international rule of law - values for which we are respected the world over. We want to ensure we are a force for good in the world. This means championing basic human rights.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK has taken in pursuance to its decision to exercise diplomatic protection in the 12 months since Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was granted that status.

James Cleverly: Exercising diplomatic protection in Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case has formally raised her case to a state-to-state issue. We continue to lobby the Iranian Government at the most senior levels for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's unconditional release so she can be reunited with her family.

Iran: Detainees

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to tackle Iran’s practice of unlawfully detaining (a) dual and (b) foreign nationals.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns over dual nationals most recently in his call with Foreign Minister Zarif on 9 January. We regularly request consular access to our dual-national prisoners to ensure that they are treated in accordance with international standards and that their welfare needs are met. We will continue to request access to them, however Iran considers these individuals to be Iranians under Iranian law and has not granted the British Government access. The Prime Minister also raised his concerns in a recent telephone call with President Rouhani.

Iran: Coronavirus

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances the Iranian Government has provided that any British prisoners granted temporary or permanent release from prison as a result of covid-19 that they and their families will not be harassed if they have contact with or visit the British embassy.

James Cleverly: We are not aware that any British detainees have yet been granted temporary or permanent release as a result of Covid-19. We are seeking clarification from the Iranian Government on this matter, and continue to press for the release of all British-Iranian dual national detainees at the most senior levels, including by the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary.

Northern Ireland Office

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the implications of his policies of the request made by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland for additional funding to implement changes to the law on abortion.

Mr Robin Walker: I recently met the Northern Ireland Health Minister, Robin Swann MLA, to discuss the abortion regulations which will be laid in Parliament shortly. Once the law comes into force on 31 March 2020 it will be for the Northern Ireland Department of Health to commission abortion services through the health and social care system. The Northern Ireland Department of Health is continuing to work to explore the full costs of commissioning and operating the new services.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Health Services

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what steps he is taking to support NHS staff in the event of increased patient admissions as a result of covid-19.

Edward Argar: The National Health Service will be given all the resources it needs to respond to this virus and keep the public safe.The NHS is scaling up intensive care beds, whilst NHS England is looking at NHS organisations’ critical care capacity - including the availability of additional facilities operated by independent sector providers. They are also making sure that they have as much ventilation equipment as possible and, crucially, the skilled and trained people to use it.The Health and Wellbeing Framework sets out the standards for what NHS organisations need to do to support staff to feel well, healthy and happy at work. It sets out clear actionable steps and provides guidance for organisations to develop and deliver a staff health and wellbeing plan. The link for this guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/retention-and-staff-experience/health-and-wellbeing

Coronavirus: Medical Records

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to protect the privacy and confidentiality of people diagnosed with covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Government and other health organisations are obliged to protect patient confidentiality, in line with standard clinical practice. More information on data protection can be found on GOV.UK at the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation

Infant Mortality: Coventry

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce infant and child mortality in Coventry.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, has committed to accelerate action to improve maternity and neonatal care services and to halve the 2010 rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2025 and to reduce the pre-term birth rate from 8% to 6%.Public Health England is undertaking a systematic review and refresh of the Healthy Child Programme in England.In 2013, seven cities, including Coventry, were designated ‘Marmot Cities’ in England and received national expertise and support from the Institute of Health Equity and Public Health England. Of these, Coventry was the only city to renew this commitment in 2016 and continue to use the title.

Dementia: Social Services

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on social care funding of dementia care costs.

Helen Whately: Future funding for social care will be set out at the next Spending Review. The upcoming Spending Review will consider a broad range of factors that influence the demand for and cost of providing adult social care services.Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society.In 2020/21 we are providing councils with access to an additional £1.5 billion for adults and children’s social care.This £1.5 billion is on top of maintaining £2.5 billion of existing social care grants and will support local authorities to meet rising demand and continue to stabilise the social care system.

Sapropterin

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to make the drug Kuvan for people with phenylketonuria available on the NHS.

Jo Churchill: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop recommendations for the National Health Service on the use of Kuvan for the treatment of phenylketonuria through its technology appraisal programme. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund medicines recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance.NICE’s appraisal had been suspended as the manufacturer of Kuvan, BioMarin, had withdrawn from the process. However, BioMarin has now agreed to re-engage in the appraisal and NICE will now aim to publish guidance on Kuvan as soon as possible. Further information on the appraisal is available on NICE’s website at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta10378

NHS: Management

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that the NHS Leadership Compact uses the latest available evidence on good leadership and management.

Helen Whately: The NHS Leadership Compact will describe an agreed set of behaviours that all senior National Health Service leaders need to display in order to create a positive, compassionate and inclusive NHS leadership culture. The NHS Leadership Compact has been developed in partnership with leaders at every level. Evidence from similar agreements already in use in the NHS and in other sectors, as well as evidence of good leadership and management practice, has been used to inform development of the NHS Leadership Compact.

NHS: Management

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that managers of NHS trusts are compliant with the NHS Leadership Compact.

Helen Whately: NHS England and NHS Improvement will work closely with other National Health Service organisations to ensure that all senior leaders follow the NHS Leadership Compact. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working to ensure that NHS regulatory and oversight frameworks support the behaviours set out in the NHS Leadership Compact.

NHS: Management

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to prepare NHS leaders for implementation of the NHS people plan.

Helen Whately: A wide range of senior leaders have been involved in the development of the NHS People Plan. NHS England and NHS Improvement, alongside Health Education England, are working collaboratively with local health and care systems to agree how best to support local leaders in implementing the People Plan. The NHS Leadership Compact, which will support the People Plan, has also been developed in partnership with leaders at every level.

NHS: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to create psychologically healthy workplaces in the NHS.

Helen Whately: The final NHS People Plan will set out a wide range of actions to make the National Health Service a consistently great place to work and improve patient care. It will set out how NHS England and NHS Improvement will work with local health systems and NHS organisations to improve the experience of work in the NHS and ensure that NHS workplaces are psychologically healthy.The NHS currently provides mental health support for doctors in England through the NHS Practitioner Health Programme, a mental health assessment and treatment service that NHS doctors and dentists can access via confidential self-referral.

Patient Access to Medicines Partnership

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what process was used for recruiting organisations and members to the Patient Access to Medicines Partnership; and how regularly that Partnership meets.

Helen Whately: The Patient Access to Medicines Partnership (PAMP) is a forum for strategic, high-level, discussions on United Kingdom pharmaceutical and medicines access policy. It is made up of a small group of senior leaders from industry, government, NHS England and NHS Improvement, UK regulators, and a patient representative from the Charity Medicines Access Coalition. The membership of PAMP was proposed by the industry representative groups and agreed by the joint chairs of the board.  PAMP meets bi-annually and is co-chaired by the Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Innovation (Lord Bethell) along with the Senior Pharmaceutical Industry Executive. The inaugural meeting was held in June 2019 and the most recent meeting took place in February 2020.

Community Care

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the delivery of accessible community rehabilitation care.

Jo Churchill: Rehabilitation is a fundamental part of our modern health system. Services should be built around the patient, addressing their needs in an integrated manner and provided close to home where safe to do so.To achieve this, the Department is committed to supporting our vital community services, facilitated by £4.5 billion of investment for primary and community health services, outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan. This investment will fund, amongst other things, expanded community multidisciplinary teams aligned with primary care networks.NHS England has committed to improve community health response services within the next five years to deliver crisis services within two hours and reablement care within two days across the country. This urgent response and recovery support will be delivered by flexible teams working across primary care and local hospitals, developed to meet local needs.

Coronavirus

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to report active cases of covid–19 by deducting the number of people who have recovered from that virus.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 12 March 2020



As we move into the delay phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, which is about slowing the spread, lowering the peak impact of the disease and pushing it away from the winter season, we will continue to report figures daily and maintain a consistent approach.The reporting and messaging will adapt as required, with the number of people who have recovered not being a reliably knowable figure at present.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase patient access to innovative cancer treatments that are not pharmaceutical and would not qualify for the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 12 March 2020



To improve cancer care, the NHS Long Term Plan sets out how we will speed up the path from innovation to business-as-usual, spreading proven new techniques and technologies and reducing variation. Faster, smarter and effective radiotherapy, supported by greater networking of specialised expertise, will mean more patients are offered curative treatment, with fewer side effects and shorter treatment times.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS cancer patients have received funding for (a) radio-frequency ablation, (b) microwave ablation (MWA), (c) ethanol ablation, (d) cryosurgery, (e) side effects of ablation therapy, (f) arterial embolization, (g) chemoembolization and (h) radioembolisation in each of the last three calendar years.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 12 March 2020



This information is not held centrally.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of patients that may benefit from (a) ablation and (b) embolisation techniques that are not provided by the NHS.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 12 March 2020



No recent assessment has been made.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating funding to the NHS for non-pharmaceutical cancer treatments other than diagnostics equipment, radiotherapy machines and proton beam therapy.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 12 March 2020



No assessment has been made.NHS England and Improvement’s service development policy sets out NHS England’s approach for making decisions about which new treatments and interventions to routinely commission, and the approach used for updating existing service specifications, or creating new ones. This can be found online at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-commissioning-service-development-policy-and-process/

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will undertake a comparative assessment of the (a) recovery period for and (b) costs of treating cancer with (i) surgery and radiotherapy and (ii) other less invasive treatments.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 12 March 2020



No assessment is currently planned.

Respiratory System: Medical Equipment

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many critical care beds equipped with respiratory equipment there are in England.

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many extracorporeal membrane oxygenation beds there are in hospitals in England.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 13 March 2020



NHS England commissions a total of 15 adult respiratory extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) beds per annum from five providers in England (with a further provider in Scotland), as well as paediatric respiratory ECMO beds from five providers in England (again with further provider in Scotland). Whilst there is no set number of beds per provider because the number of paediatric cases is very small, there are typically no more than three patients requiring respiratory ECMO at any one time. In periods of high demand, adult and paediatric capacity can be increased in line with agreed standard operating procedure. Highly specialised beds will only be needed by a minority of affected patients. In relation to the Chief Medical Officer’s recent announcement on COVID-19, hospitals have been advised on what next steps they need to take to respond to any outbreak and hardworking staff are working round the clock to test and treat patients with coronavirus and as you'd expect, work is under way to explore all practical options to increase capacity.

Cancer: Health

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to (a) measure and (b) improve the quality of life for people diagnosed with one of the less survivable cancers, such as (i) brain, (ii) liver, (iii) oesophageal, (iv) stomach, (v) lung and (vi) pancreatic cancer.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 13 March 2020



A pilot project to introduce a national Quality of Life metric has been underway since 2017. This pilot project has tested approaches to collecting quality of life information through a survey. NHS England and NHS Improvement are carrying out more survey testing of other cancer types and in more hospital, trusts using a refined method based on feedback from the pilot. Information from these tests will be used to decide on a final roll out model.The national Cancer Quality of Life metric will formally launch later this year.By 2021, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access, where appropriate, to personalised care, including a needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. The needs assessment guides a conversation about the person’s holistic needs (physical, psychosocial, financial and social) in order to identify any concerns, including psychological and emotional.Over the next three years every patient with cancer will receive a Personalised Care and Support Plan based on holistic needs assessment, end of treatment summaries and health and wellbeing information and support.

Coronavirus: Social Services

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities and care companies to provide food and meals to elderly and disabled people who receive care in their homes in the event of a covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 13 March 2020



Officials are working with the LGAs (local government associations), Public Health England and NHS England on continuity planning, to support social care providers.We know social care will be at the frontline of our response to COVID-19, with social care providers looking after many of the most vulnerable in society.Social care guidance is being worked on urgently and updated regularly. The latest advice which the government keeps under review is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-social-or-community-care-and-residential-settings-on-covid-19

Coronavirus: Lung Diseases

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the situation relating to covid-19, what advice his Department is providing to parents of young children with chronic lung conditions; and whether those children can be removed from schooling.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Hearing Impairment

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that accessible Government advice on covid-19 is provided to people (a) who use British Sign Language as their primary language and (b) with hearing loss.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Health Services

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure  NHS compliance with the Accessible Information Standard in the event that more NHS services are delivered online and by phone because of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve early diagnosis rates of (a) brain, (b) lung, (c) stomach, (d) oesophageal, (e) liver and (f) pancreatic cancer.

Jo Churchill: Cancer is a priority for this Government and survival rates are at a record high1. Since 2010 rates of survival from cancer have increased year-on-year.We recognise, however, that there is more to do, The NHS Long Term Plan sets out an ambition that, by 2028, the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 will rise from around half to three-quarters of cancer patients. The National Health Service is finding and treating more complex cancers at an early stage in line with the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS England has committed funding of over £1.3 billion over the next five years to deliver the commitments on cancer in the NHS Long Term Plan. This includes £200 million investment in diagnostic equipment, the implementation of optimal timed diagnosis pathways and new Rapid Diagnostic Centres and actions to increase staff in key cancer and diagnostic professions. Notes:Between 2002 and 2017 one-year survival for all cancers combined increased from 62.6% to 73.3%. Between 2002 and 2013 five-year survival for all cancer combined increased from 44.5% to 53.6% (Years quoted are years of diagnosis. Source: Office for National Statistics)

Cancer: Research

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government plans to take to improve coordination of research into (a) brain, (b) lung, (c) stomach, (d) oesophageal, (e) liver and (f) pancreatic cancers.

Jo Churchill: Together with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the National Cancer Research Institute, the Department joined the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce recent research roundtable event to consider how the number of high-quality research applications can be increased for these difficult-to-treat cancers.The Department convened an independent Task and Finish Working Group on Brain Tumour Research, chaired by Professor Chris Whitty, which reported in February 2018. Following this report the Department is participating actively in the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. In May 2018 the Government announced £40 million over five years for brain tumour research.

Coronavirus

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 cases the Government estimates there will be in England at any one time at the peak of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many tests for covid-19 per day UK-based laboratories can carry out (a) now and (b) at peak capacity.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what steps the Government is taking to increase the supply of hand-sanitisers to (a) elderly and (b) vulnerable people.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 16 March 2020



The National Health Service’s current advice is that people should regularly wash their hands with warm water and soap or to use sanitiser gel if water and soap are unavailable.Guidance’s that covers those living at home as well as those in social care settings and the most vulnerable. These can be found at the following links:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance/covid-19-guidance-for-supported-living-provisionhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance/covid-19-guidance-on-home-care-provision COVID-19: guidance on residential care provisionhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance/covid-19-guidance-on-residential-care-provision

Coronavirus: Intensive Care

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS intensive care units have (a) appropriate facilities and (b) adequate resources to help save the lives of patients worst affected by covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Members

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue guidance to hon. Members and their staff in contact with vulnerable constituents on how to deal with the risk of covid-19 infection.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what scientific advice he has received on the risk of transmission of covid-19 in public gatherings.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what testing criteria Public Health England is applying for the testing of potential covid-19 cases; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of widening that testing criteria so that higher numbers of people are so tested.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of medicated patients being cared for in mental health facilities indefinitely.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have made no such estimate. There is no central National Health Service collection of information on medicines issued to individual patients in NHS hospitals.

Mental Health Services

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to patients in mental health facilities for prolonged periods of time to challenge the diagnosis or treatment they have received.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Where a patient is subject to the Mental Health Act 1983 for over three months, they have the right to a Second Opinion Appointed Doctor who will confirm a patient’s capacity to consent to treatment, and review whether continuing medication is necessary.Patients subject to the Act can also access Independent Mental Health Advocates who provide support to patients to exercise their rights and ensure they can participate in the decisions that are made about their care and treatment. Patients also have the right to appeal to an independent tribunal, which has the power to discharge patients from their detention under the Act. For mental health patients not detained under the Mental Health Act, there is no legal right to a second opinion. However, as standard clinical practice National Health Service trusts will have arrangements in place for second opinion requests.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) paramedics, (b) ambulance technicians, (c) A&E medical staff and (d) ICU and ITU medical staff have not yet received protective equipment and fitted masks to enable them to safely treat patients diagnosed with or showing symptoms of covid-19; and what steps he is taking to make more protective equipment available to such staff.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to protect NHS staff from infection from covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Cleaning Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has published on cleaning (a) GP surgeries and (b) other medical facilities after exposure to covid-19; and what guidance his Department has published on ensuring that local cleaning companies carrying out such work at those facilities are appropriately trained.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: China

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the most recent (a) official and (b) modelled prevalence rate of covid-19 is in (i) Hubei province and (ii) mainland China.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Health Services

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Government determines the level at which the immigration health surcharge is set.

Edward Argar: The Department’s most recent assessment looked at actual data on surcharge-payers’ use of the National Health Service between April 2015 and September 2019 and their length of stay in the United Kingdom. This estimated the total costs to the NHS of treating the average surcharge-payer to be around £624 per person per annum.

Coronavirus: Homelessness

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people who are (a) homeless, (b) sleeping rough and (c) sofa-surfing are provided with access to (i) testing for covid-19, (ii) suitable accommodation for self-isolation and (iii) treatment for covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Homelessness

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the risks that covid-19 poses for homeless people and rough sleepers.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership: Pay

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2020 to Questions 21898, 21899, 21900 and 21901 on Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership: Pay, what the standard salary band is for a Joint Accountable Office referred to in that answer.

Helen Whately: The salary pay bands of Clinical Commissioning Group Accountable Officers (CCG AO), trust chief executives and trust chairs are likely to vary according to local circumstances. Further guidance can be found online at the following links:https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/remuneration-structure-nhs-provider-chairs-and-non-executive-directors/https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-commissioning-group-guidance-on-senior-appointments-including-accountable-officers-march-2017/The principles of this guidance should also be followed when going through the process of recruiting an Integrated Care System Leader – in some cases this may be a joint role with that of a Clinical Commissioning Groups AO or Trust Chief Executive – and Non-Executive Chair.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Ageing

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, for what reasons she removed ageing as a Ministerial responsibility within her Department.

Wendy Morton: The Department recognises that older people experience a range of complex barriers and face multiple exclusions in developing countries across the globe.Baroness Sugg has direct responsibility for ageing as part of her portfolio on inclusive societies.Ageing is an important factor in DFID’s efforts to tackle extreme poverty, ensure inclusion and in our approach to ‘leave no-one behind’. This is reflected in our departmental strategy papers. Both the Disability Inclusion Strategy and the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality take a life-course approach, ensuring the delivery of transformative change for people all ages.We are also supporting governments to make vital social protection systems more inclusive of older people. In Uganda, DFID continues to build on its partnership with the Government of Uganda to deliver a Senior Citizen Grant. The grant currently supports over 168,000 older people with a cash transfer to help meet their nutritional and healthcare needs.

Kiribati: Overseas Aid

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to allocate aid to Kiribati to support policy in relation to (a) rising sea levels and (b) human displacement.

James Duddridge: The UK does not have a bilateral aid programme in Kiribati. Most of our support to Pacific Island Countries (PICs), including Kiribati, is provided through multilateral institutions and key climate change funds, which have a strong presence and deep expertise in the region.The UK is acutely aware of the unique vulnerabilities that climate change poses to Kiribati and other PICs and we are actively using our influence in the UN and multilateral development banks to raise their concerns on issues such as natural disasters and climate change.The UK is the largest contributor to the Green Climate Fund and the World Bank’s International Development Association, and the largest European donor to the Asian Development Fund, which have all provided a significant increase in support to the Pacific over recent years. This support is helping the most vulnerable countries like Kiribati adapt to climate change, including to human displacement and risks related to rising sea levels.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, from which budget allocation the £46 million package for funding a coronavirus vaccine has come from.

James Cleverly: The global race to find a vaccine for coronavirus has been bolstered by our £46 million package which has been funded from the UK ODA Crisis Reserve, which was established as part of the UK Aid Strategy in 2015.

Budget March 2020

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to footnote 1 on page 28 and footnote 2 on page 29 of the Budget 2020 Red Book on Capital DEL and Resource DEL, if she will publish the detailed proposals for transfers of spending to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments for 2020-21.

Wendy Morton: My Department will provide details of all budget transfers to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments in our Memorandum to the International Development Committee on the publication of the department’s Main Supply Estimate.

Department for Education

Mathematics: Primary Education

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the grid multiplication method in maths teaching at key stage 2; and whether he plans to publish revised guidance to encourage that method in the curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Human Trafficking: Children in Care

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support children in care who are victims of trafficking.

Vicky Ford: The government provides Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs). They are an independent source of advice for trafficked children, working with multi-agency partners to advocate on behalf of the child so that they are protected from further harm and to promote the child’s recovery. Last year, ICTGs were successfully rolled out to one third of all local authorities in England and Wales and the Government remains committed to rolling ICTGs out nationally.The ‘Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010’ were amended in 2014 to require that local authorities’ duties to care for looked after children are fulfilled with particular regard to a child’s circumstances and needs as a trafficked child. The Regulations apply to all children, regardless of their immigration status, nationality or documentation.The departments statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery (2017)’ sets out detailed steps that local authorities should take to care for children who are victims of modern slavery, including trafficking. It emphasises that care placement decisions should take particular account of protecting the child from any continued risk from traffickers and processes should be in place to monitor policies and performance relating to child victims of modern slavery. Responsible managers should understand the risks and issues facing child victims of modern slavery and review best practice in planning for the care of these children.The statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children (2018)' actively promotes a child centred, multi-agency approach to safeguarding all children and specifically highlights the need to manage complex risks to children from exploitation by criminal gangs, including trafficking and modern slavery.

Academic Year and Free School Meals

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to announce the locations that will receive funding through the Holiday Activities and Food scheme in 2020.

Vicky Ford: School summer holidays can be a particularly difficult time for some families due to increased food and childcare costs and reduced incomes. That is why we have announced funding for the 2020 summer school holidays to again support children and their families with free access to holiday clubs across the country.This follows our £9 million investment in 2019 which explored a model of local coordination of free holiday provision in 11 local authority areas.We held a competitive bidding round for the summer 2020 fund which closed on 13 December. All bids were assessed against our published criteria and applicants needed to demonstrate that they could coordinate high-quality holiday clubs for children across their areas.We will contact all bidders both successful and unsuccessful in the very near future.

Primary Education: Assessments

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Reception Baseline Assessments.

Vicky Ford: The purpose of the reception baseline assessment (RBA) is to form the starting point for reception to year six progress measures in primary schools. The RBA has undergone a thorough review process to ensure that it is fit for purpose, including a national pilot. Data from over 340,000 assessments has now been analysed and shows that the assessment is valid and fit for purpose. The department has recently published the reception baseline assessment validity report, demonstrating the evidence that has been gathered throughout the assessment development process, showing the assessment to be an accurate assessment of children’s starting points.The report can be found at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reception-baseline-assessment-validity-report.

Children: Lung Diseases

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the situation relating to covid-19, what plans his Department has to arrange for children with chronic lung conditions to be taken out of school.

Nick Gibb: COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation and the Department’s highest priority. We are working closely with colleagues across Government to ensure that all appropriate arrangements, and support, are in place for all Department for Education sectors – from early years and childcare, schools and children’s social care – and for vulnerable groups including children with long-term medical conditions. Schools should continue to support their pupils’ health needs as normal and let staff and parents know that there is NHS guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public.

Union Learning Fund

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to continue to provide financial support to the Union Learning Fund beyond the end of March 2020.

Gillian Keegan: We plan to continue providing financial support to the Union Learning Fund in the next financial year. Funding beyond that is dependent on the outcome of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Members: Correspondence

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his oral contribution of 2 March 2020, Official Report columns 603-604, when he plans to respond to the letter he has received from Dr Jo Grady, General Secretary of the University and College Union, in relation to the union's current industrial action.

Michelle Donelan: I can confirm that the department received the letter from Dr Jo Grady on 2 March 2020. A response is currently being drafted and will be sent out to Dr Grady in due course.

Children: Social Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities use the National Accreditation and Assessment Programme; and how many social workers within those local authorities have (a) started and (b) completed the programme.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether introduction of the National accreditation and assessment programme is voluntary for local authorities.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse has been of the roll-out of the National Accreditation and Assessment Programme to date.

Vicky Ford: 56 local authorities are currently participating in the National Assessment and Accreditation System and figures on the number of social workers who have completed their assessment is in the attached table.The programme is voluntary for local authorities.The cost of the programme to date has been £24 million, of which £12 million has been in grant funding to local authorities.



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Specialist Maths Schools

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the (a) revenue of and (b) capital expenditure on specialist maths schools in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: Revenue expenditure:Academic yearsTotal Revenue2010/11£02011/12£02012/13£180,0002013/14£420,0002014/15£1,754,4152015/16£1,992,7612016/17£1,906,7762017/18£1,847,1822018/19£2,259,0942019/20£2,386,860Total£12,747,087Both before and after opening, maths schools receive core funding in line with other new post-16 schools. Maths schools receive some additional funding in return for delivering key aspects of the maths school model, which includes significant outreach work with teachers and students in schools in their surrounding areas to increase both maths A level participation and maths GCSE and A level attainment. Details are available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/822102/20190723_-_Proposer_guidance_-_maths_schools_-_update.pdf.In order to serve the whole of the south west, Exeter Mathematics School also provides boarding accommodation for a small number of students and receives a residential accommodation grant in order for students from financially disadvantaged/low income backgrounds who live too far away for a daily commute to attend.All core and additional revenue expenditure is included in the table above.The Department publishes overall capital costs for all free schools, including maths schools on GOV.UK once all works are completed and costs are finalised. Given that these can be large and complex projects, this can take some time between first opening and publication. Additional finalised capital costs for individual free schools and maths schools will be published in due course. Final capital costs are published here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/863262/Capital_Funding_for_Free_Schools__UTCs_and_Studio__Schools_.ods.

Specialist Maths Schools

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many universities have made a commitment to sponsor a specialist maths school in each region of England.

Nick Gibb: Seven universities have made a commitment to sponsor a specialist maths school: University of Cambridge, Durham University, University of Exeter, King’s College London, Lancaster University, University of Liverpool, and University of Surrey. The Department is working to open 11 maths schools, with at least one in every region.

Ministry of Justice

Fines: Surcharges

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding from the Victims Surcharge has been allocated to charities in the Midlands.

Alex Chalk: Revenue from the Victim Surcharge forms only one part of the Ministry of Justice’s Victim and Witness budget. This budget is used to fund support services that help victims to cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. The budget also funds services to help witnesses to give their best evidence in court. In 2018/19 the Victim and Witnesses budget was about £96m, of which £30.5m was revenue raised from the Victim Surcharge. Most of this money went to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission/deliver local services for victims of crime. The rest of the budget is used to nationally commission support services, including the National Homicide Service, the Court Based Witness Service and support for victims of rape and sexual violence. It is not possible to identify which services receive funding directly from the Victim Surcharge revenue. However, the table below sets out the value of grants covering the Midlands in 2018/19. PCC AreaPCC grant allocation to deliver local victim services in 2018/19Grant allocation to rape support centres in the PCC area in 2018/19Derbyshire£1,211,079£0*Leicestershire£1,243,516£0*Lincolnshire£864,044£159,430Northamptonshire£852,090£68,328Nottinghamshire£1,320,326£159,430Staffordshire£1,302,143£159,430Warwickshire£647,092£234,824West Mercia£1,462,958£272,182West Midlands£3,329,807£356,817TOTAL£12,233,055£1,410,441* The Government is funding rape support centres in this area from 2019/20

Reoffenders

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people following a breach of licence conditions (a) returned and (b) did not return to prison following that breach in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: Public protection is our priority. Offenders on licence are subject to strict licence conditions and supervision. When an offender breaches a condition of their licence, their probation officer will undertake a thorough risk assessment to determine whether it is necessary, for the protection of the public, to recall that offender to prison. Not all licence breaches result in recall, and we do not centrally hold data on the number of licence breaches which did not lead to recall.Once officials on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice have revoked an offender’s licence, it is for the Police to find, apprehend and return the offender to custod. If an offender is not returned to prison custody, s/he is deemed to be ‘unlawfully at large’. The table below sets out the most recent published data:Year of RecallNumber of RecallsNumber unlawfully at large as at 31 December 2019Number not unlawfully at large as at 31 December 2019201621,55914421,415201721,91515921,756201824,26825324,015Over 99% of offenders recalled are returned to prison and these figures will include those who have died or been deported, as the National Probation Service does not automatically get notified of this.

Prisoners: Childbirth

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women gave birth (a) inside each prison and (b) on the way from prison to hospital in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2019.

Lucy Frazer: Every effort is made to transfer pregnant women to hospital to give birth. On the rare occasions that births take place in prisons, it is owing to the unpredictability of labour. The information requested is not currently collected centrally as a matter of routine. Information on births in prisons is recorded by the prison, and on births in transit from prison to hospital by either the prison or the NHS Trust, depending on the mode of transport used. It would not be possible to collect and collate this information without incurring disproportionate cost. I am able to state, however, on the basis of specific data collection exercises we have conducted, that there were fewer than five births in prison in 2018. We are unable to publish a more specific number because this would risk identifying individuals and therefore confidentiality, which contravenes the Data Protection Act. We are conducting a review of our policy on Mother and Baby Units, which includes looking at how we can improve the data available in relation to pregnancy and births. This is a complex area and there are sensitive issues relating to use of confidential medical information. The review is due to be published in the summer.

Prisoners: Childbirth

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of pregnant women placed in solitary confinement in each prison in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019; and what the average length of time was for each woman to be placed in solitary confinement.

Lucy Frazer: HMPPS does not hold people in solitary confinement but there are occasions where, for their own safety or that of others and in line with PSO 1700, prisoners are segregated from the main population of the prison. Our policy is clear that pregnant women should only be held in segregation exceptionally. Healthcare visits and assessments by a doctor and healthcare staff take place regularly on segregation units to ensure that prisoners can be removed from segregation if there are any physical or mental health grounds to do so. An initial healthcare screen is completed by a doctor or registered nurse within two hours of a prisoner being placed in segregation. We do not hold central data on the number of pregnant women that have been placed in segregation units, although governors of individual prisons will be aware of numbers of pregnant women in segregation in their establishment. We are conducting a review of our policy on Mother and Baby Units, which includes looking at what information related to pregnancy and birth can be collected centrally and published. The review is due to be published in the Summer.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Coronavirus: Discrimination

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to tackle prejudice against the Asian community in relation to the spread of covid-19.

Luke Hall: The Government takes hate crime and discrimination of any kind very seriously. We are a tolerant and welcoming multicultural society. There is no excuse for targeting British Asian communities or anyone of any other background in this country. We have one of the strongest legal frameworks in the world to report, record and prosecute hate crime. I would encourage anyone who experiences hate crime to report it to the police.The Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan, published in October 2018, sets out a comprehensive programme of work across Government and the police. We fund hate crime reporting platforms, including True Vision, and we continue to engage with communities of all backgrounds and local leaders, including councils and the police, to make sure we are aware of any concerns communities may have and can provide targeted support.

Wind Power

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department collects data on which local authorities have designated suitable areas for onshore wind energy developments in their local plans.

Christopher Pincher: The Department does not collect such data. The National Planning Policy Framework indicates that plans should consider identifying suitable areas for renewable and low carbon energy. However, local authorities are not required to designate suitable areas specifically for wind energy development.

Social Rented Housing: Rents

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average social housing monthly rent was in England, in each of the last five years.

Christopher Pincher: Local authority and Private Registered Provider average weekly (social and affordable) rents, by district, for England can be found in Live Tables 702 and 704, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-rents-lettings-and-tenancies

Local Government: Coronavirus

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local government representatives on reducing the spread of covid-19.

Christopher Pincher: My Department is continuing to work with local partners to manage the potential impacts of a Covid-19 outbreak and any implications for the delivery of public services.The Secretary of State held a teleconference with Combined Authority Mayors on Thursday, 12 March. He also hosted a teleconference on Covid-19 for all Council Leaders and Local Authority Chief Executives. Local government representatives were invited to ask any questions in advance. Ministers and officials from other government departments also joined the call to provide a situational update and answer questions.Senior officials have been instructed to continue to support the Government’s four-phased approach to tackling the virus working closely with the network of 9 chief executives who represent their regions, and providing updates to all council Chief Executives when appropriate. My Department is also working closely with the Local Government Association.The Secretary of State has also recently set up a Local Resilience Forum (LRF) Taskforce who will assess LRF plans and provide support and advice to ensure they are robust.

Homelessness: Coronavirus

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to local authority housing services on the provision of support to homeless people that may have covid-19; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those services are prepared to support homeless people and rough sleepers with covid-19.

Christopher Pincher: We continue to work closely with local authorities to ensure they are prepared to deliver their statutory obligations under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.The Secretary of State has instructed officials to work with councils to support and maintain their public services, including housing provision via the Covid-19 Response Fund, which has initially been set at £5 billion and provides funding so public services are prepared and protected.

Housing: Coronavirus

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the ability of people living in (a) households that are overcrowded, (b) houses in multiple occupation and (c) hostels to self-isolate in response to a potential covid-19 infection; and what steps is he taking to support social housing providers to prepare for a potential outbreak of that virus.

Christopher Pincher: MHCLG continues to work with local partners, including local authorities and local resilience forums, to assist preparedness to manage the potential effects of the Covid-19 outbreak.That is why Public Health England intends to publish further guidance for hostels and day centres imminently. We are considering whether further action is required and are working with the sector to develop an appropriate response as a matter of urgency.

Buildings: Safety

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government plans to publish the (a) fire safety bill and (b) building safety bill.

Christopher Pincher: As announced in the Queen’s speech on 19 December 2019, the Government is committed to bringing forward legislation on fire and structural safety that delivers meaningful and lasting change. The Fire Safety Bill will be introduced to Parliament shortly by the Home Office. The Building Safety Bill will follow and be published later this year. Resident safety is paramount, and we owe it to them to get this right.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with leaseholder organisations on leaseholders affected by the advice note for building owners, published on 20 January 2020.

Christopher Pincher: On 4 March, the Secretary of State met a group of leaseholders facing difficulties related to unsafe or unknown cladding, remediation bills and the mortgage challenges arising from that.  In February, the Department met representatives from leaseholder groups including "Manchester Cladiators", to discuss building safety, remediation costs and mortgage finance.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance note entitled, Building safety advice for building owners, including fire doors, what support his Department is providing to leaseholders that are unable to sell their properties while the freeholder is carrying out fire safety checks.

Christopher Pincher: Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner and they must ensure that they move swiftly to identify and address any fire safety issues they find. They should let leaseholders know of any planned safety checks and must be forthcoming with the outcomes of those checks and the actions arising from them.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance note entitled, Building safety advice for building owners, including fire doors, what support his Department is providing to freeholders affected by the provisions of that guidance note.

Christopher Pincher: Building owners are responsible for the safety of their buildings and must ensure that they act on any safety concerns they find. The Independent Expert Advisory Panel consolidated advice is for building owners. It advises building owners what actions they should take to ensure their building is fire safe.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance note entitled, Building safety advice for building owners, including fire doors, what discussions he has had with representatives from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors on the EWS1 forms for leaseholders.

Christopher Pincher: The Government has regular engagement with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on a variety of issues, including the operation of the EWS1 form.

Flats: Insulation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding the Government is providing to remove unsafe cladding from residential buildings below 18 metres in height.

Christopher Pincher: We are investing £1.6 billion to support the remediation of unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) and unsafe non-ACM cladding systems on private and social residential buildings above 18 metres.Dame Judith Hackitt – who led the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety - has recommended that we focus further public funding on remediating unsafe cladding from high rise buildings. Higher rise buildings are the least likely to evacuate safely in the event of a fire spreading via external cladding.Government intervention does not remove overall responsibility for building safety from building owners, and they should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting leaseholders where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for incorrect or poor work.

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Animal Experiments

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s policy on animals in warfare testing.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence does not conduct animal experiments for the development or testing of offensive weapons, and the Home Office does not grant licences for those purposes.Where no alternative exists, the Ministry of Defence uses animals in experiments for the development of new vaccines, treatments or medical procedures. These are regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and licensed by the Home Office.

Army

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the new Strike Brigade will be in-service.

James Heappey: The development of the Strike capability continues at pace with ongoing experimentation within 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade. The formation of the strike brigade is dependent on the delivery schedule of the vehicles that will be used within the brigade. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin) on 9 March 2020 to Question 24277.



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Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse is of (a) the F-35 programme and (b) each F-35 aircraft.

Jeremy Quin: The price of an F-35B from Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 11 which comprises the last finalised contract is $115 million. This covers airframe and engine cost and represents a 24% price reduction from our first aircraft ordered. We expect this downward trend to continue in future lots.Costs of the overall Lightning Programme are set out in the Ministry of Defence Government Major Projects Portfolio data, 2019, which is available in the Library of the House.

Future Large Aircraft

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Airbus A400m aircraft have been delivered to the RAF; and what the timetable is for the final delivery of that aircraft to be made.

Jeremy Quin: To date, 20 aircraft have been delivered to the RAF, with the final delivery planned for 2022.

Defence Equipment and Support: Pay

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the salary band is of the head of Defence Equipment and Support.

Jeremy Quin: The salary of the Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) is published in the DE&S Annual Report and Accounts, which is available on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-equipment-support-annual-report-and-accounts-2018-to-2019The Chief Executive's current salary band is £270,000 - £275,000.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the accuracy of reports that her Department is offering time-limited settlement offers to people who have a strong chance of success at a tribunal on refusal of their claim for personal independence payments.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not make ‘offers’ to claimants. If at the appeal stage of the decision making process it is decided that a decision can be changed in the claimant’s favour, then in law the Secretary of State has the option to revise the decision and thereby lapse the appeal against that decision. As we always aim to make the right decision as early as possible, then changing the decision to award a higher rate of benefit is the right thing to do. However, we will only do this if the claimant agrees. The telephone call is made to explain the changed circumstance. But, critically, it also the case that, whilst the appeal against the original decision will stop, a new right of appeal is given against the revised decision. This is explained both by the new decision notice and by the letter sent by the Tribunals Service confirming the appeal has stopped. The process does not disadvantage claimants. And, of course, if the second appeal is successful the additional benefit will be backdated and full arrears paid.

Employment and Support Allowance: Self-employed

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) sole traders, (b) freelancers and (c) small business holders on changes to employment support allowance; and if she will make a statement.

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on (a) sole traders, (b) freelancers and (c) small business holders of the recent changes to employment support allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: There are no recent changes to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) that affect sole traders, freelancers and small business holders. A self-employed person can make a new claim for New Style ESA. In order to qualify they will need to satisfy the basic entitlement and National Insurance contribution conditions.

Access to Work Programme

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to promote the Access to Work scheme to disabled people.

Justin Tomlinson: Access to Work continues to undertake targeted marketing and awareness raising activities. For example, the scheme is promoted to benefit claimants through Jobcentre Plus and to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme. We have also worked with a variety of stakeholder organisations to market Access to Work to their clients, including sharing information about how individuals can apply for support. The 2018/19 AtW statistics illustrate the increase in support provided by Access to Work, with over 36,000, the highest ever number of people with disabilities and health conditions receiving tailored and flexible support to do their job.

Self-employed: Coronavirus

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support people who are self-employed where they have to (a) self-isolate and (b) take sick leave in response to covid-19.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: Habitual Residence Test

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsiderations of universal credit decisions relating the the habitual residency test for universal credit there were from July 2018 to March 2020; and how many of those decisions were overturned following that reconsideration.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Disability

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that hidden disabilities receive the same recognition as other disabilities in (a) car parks,(b) public (i) toilets, (ii) buildings and (iii) transport and (c) other public spaces.

Justin Tomlinson: The Cabinet Office Disability Unit is currently working with the British Standards Institute to support their development of an Invisible Disability sign, recognising that some disabled people face unfair criticism when trying to access facilities designed for disabled people. The Government will publish a National Strategy for Disabled People in 2020 focusing on removing barriers to ensure disabled people can lead a life of opportunity and fully participate in British society. The strategy will be developed with disabled people, disability organisations and charities, and will support disabled people in all aspects and phases of their lives, including housing, education, transport and jobs.

Universal Credit: Habitual Residence Test

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many decisions on habitual resident tests for universal credit took (a) less than 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) more than 28 days but less than 60 days and (d) 60 days or more from the habitual residence test interview date from July 2018 to March 2020.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Habitual Residence Test

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons claimants were refused universal credit linked to a habitual residence tests from July 2018 to March 2020.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Industrial Health and Safety: Inspections

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Health and Safety Executive investigations have exceeded 12 months in duration in each of the last three years.

Mims Davies: HSE’s Key Performance Indicators for fatal and non-fatal investigations completed are published in its Annual Report as a percentage. In 2019/20, the target for fatal investigations is the completion of 80% within 12 months of HSE assuming primacy and for non-fatal investigations the target is 90% within 12 months. For work related deaths, the police initially take the lead for the investigation and primacy is passed to HSE when they decide not to press charges under their legislation. The percentage of those fatal and non-fatal investigations which exceeded 12 months in duration in the last 3 years are: Fatal investigations not completed within 12 months of primacy:2016/172017/182018/1928%25%35%(p) Non-fatal investigations not completed within 12 months:2016/172017/182018/1910%11%11%(p) The above figures are taken from data published in HSE’s Annual Report and Accounts 2018/19. (p) – Provisional and based on live operational information and is therefore subject to change.

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that social security claimants that are unable to attend (a) work capability or (b) work-related activity assessments as a result of covid-19 will not face benefit sanctions.

Mims Davies: Special arrangements will be in place for people in receipt of benefits who cannot attend Work Capability Assessments or Jobcentre Plus appointments because they are self-isolating or infected by coronavirus. a) Disabled and sick claimants who cannot attend a Work Capability Assessment will continue to receive their payments while their assessment is rearranged. b) Claimants should tell us ahead of a Jobcentre Plus appointment if they are unable to attend because they are self-isolating or have been diagnosed with Covid-19, to avoid a sanction. Where conditionality requirements are still appropriate, these will be tailored to the claimant’s circumstances, for example, having the appointment over the phone instead of face-to-face, so it is realistic and achievable.

Statutory Sick Pay: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claimed statutory sick pay in Northern Ireland in each year since 2014.

Justin Tomlinson: Statutory Sick Pay is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Communities.

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) assess the effect of air pollutants on the health of drive-through workers and (b) work with employers, employees and trade unions to ensure that steps are taken protect those workers from the effect of air pollutants.

Mims Davies: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is not currently undertaking any specific steps to assess the effect of air pollutants on the health of drive-through workers. There is a robust regulatory framework in place to protect workers from exposure to hazardous substances as a result of work activities, including airborne contaminants. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require employers to prevent or control employee exposure to hazardous substances at work, so far as is reasonably practicable. The Regulations are supported by Workplace Exposure Limits (WELS) for substances hazardous to health including Nitrogen Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide and Sulphur Dioxide, that are also known airborne contaminants. Tackling occupational lung disease (OLD) as a result of workplace exposure to hazardous substances is one of HSE’s health priorities. HSE works with a broad range of stakeholders including trade associations, employers, trade unions, third sector and professional bodies to reduce the incidence rate of OLD.

Access to Work Programme

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for Access to Work applications to be processed.

Justin Tomlinson: Access to Work is focused on reviewing and improving our customer journey to ensure we provide an excellent level of service. In order to support customers to move into work as quickly as possible we prioritise any applications where the customer is due to begin work in four weeks or less.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Smuggling

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of dogs and puppies that were illegally imported in 2019; and from which countries those dogs and puppies were illegally imported.

Victoria Prentis: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 02 March 2020.The correct answer should have been:

The attached Annex contains the number of dogs landed in Great Britain which did not meet the import requirements and therefore required quarantine in 2019. The definition of ‘illegally landed’ does not necessarily mean the animal was smuggled into Great Britain. Our definition of an illegal landing is any dog that is landed in Great Britain which does not meet the import requirements and therefore requires quarantine under the Rabies Importation Order. While these figures may include some smuggled animals, it also includes: pet animals that arrive at UK airports and during the pets check are found to be non-compliantanimals that are found ‘inland’ and after a trading standards investigation are found to be non-compliant The attached data will include animals imported under the Pet Travel Scheme and the commercial import (Balai) requirements.  



Attached Annex for PQ 19046
(Word Document, 28.59 KB)

Victoria Prentis: The attached Annex contains the number of dogs landed in Great Britain which did not meet the import requirements and therefore required quarantine in 2019. The definition of ‘illegally landed’ does not necessarily mean the animal was smuggled into Great Britain. Our definition of an illegal landing is any dog that is landed in Great Britain which does not meet the import requirements and therefore requires quarantine under the Rabies Importation Order. While these figures may include some smuggled animals, it also includes: pet animals that arrive at UK airports and during the pets check are found to be non-compliantanimals that are found ‘inland’ and after a trading standards investigation are found to be non-compliant The attached data will include animals imported under the Pet Travel Scheme and the commercial import (Balai) requirements.  



Attached Annex for PQ 19046
(Word Document, 28.59 KB)

Animal Welfare: Inspections

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to require all local authorities in England to have their own animal welfare inspector.

Victoria Prentis: Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, local authorities in England are required to appoint one or more suitably qualified inspectors to inspect premises requiring licensing under the regulations, including those relating to dog breeding, pet selling, hiring out horses, animal exhibits and animal boarding. Local authorities appoint such inspectors using powers under section 51 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Local authority animal welfare inspectors also carry out inspections in relation to welfare in transport, on-farm welfare and, particularly in Kent, helping to tackle illegal imports of dogs. It is for local authorities, such as those within Kent, to determine how to prioritise their resources as well as the number of animal inspectors they appoint under the Animal Welfare Act. We do not hold data centrally on the number of inspectors appointed under the Act.

Meat: Ritual Slaughter

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that religious exemptions for the slaughter of meat and poultry are (a) maintained and (b) protected.

Victoria Prentis: The Government accepts the right of Muslims and Jews to eat meat killed in accordance with their religious beliefs. Since 1933 there have been provisions in UK law that permit the slaughter of animals without prior stunning in order to meet Jewish and Islamic religious requirements. The Government has adopted stricter national regulations over the years which ensure extensive protections for animals slaughtered without stunning in accordance with religious rites. These are set down in the Welfare of Animals at Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015. These regulations continue to ensure that religious exemptions are maintained and protected.

Home Office

Immigration Controls: Businesses

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the proposed points-based immigration system, when the system will be open for applications from businesses wishing to register.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether vets will be able to transfer roles under the same sponsoring employer once they have arrived in the UK under the proposed points-based immigration system.

Kevin Foster: The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February.Employers not currently approved by the Home Office to sponsor migrants should consider applying now if they think they will want to sponsor skilled migrants, including from the EU, from early 2021.In delivering on its manifesto commitments for a new points-based system, the Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We will keep labour market data under careful scrutiny and publish further detail in due course.A programme of engagement will begin this month to raise awareness of the new system, ensuring those affected by the changes are fully aware of what it means for them and understand how the system will operate.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for the equivalent of Tier 2 visas her Department estimates it will receive each month under the proposed points-based immigration system.

Kevin Foster: In delivering on its manifesto commitments for a new points-based system, the Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We will keep labour market data under careful scrutiny to identify any pressures in key sectors.The Home Office will publish further detail on the points-based system in due course.

Vagrancy Act 1824

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of police forces that have used the Vagrancy Act 1824 in England since 2015.

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of times the Vagrancy Act 1824 has been used by Kent Police since 2015.

Kit Malthouse: The information requested is not centrally available as the Home Office only collects data on police activity in relation to notifiable offences, that is, those indictable or triable-either-way cases that may be heard at a Crown Court. Offences under the Vagrancy Act are not notifiable.

Youth Mobility Scheme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has plans to agree a reciprocal Youth Mobility Scheme with the EU after the transition period.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has plans to agree a reciprocal Youth Mobility Scheme with individual EU member states after the transition period.

Kevin Foster: The UK currently has youth mobility arrangements with eight countries and territories, resulting in around 20,000 young people coming to the UK each year.We keep youth mobility scheme arrangements under review and will expand our offer to other countries if it is in the UK’s interest.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how employers will establish whether an EU national starting work between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2021 should have obtained permission to work under the points-based system or is eligible for status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Kevin Foster: Employers will not be required to distinguish between those EU citizens who are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme and new arrivals between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2021. We have made it clear that all EU citizens can continue to use their passport or national identity card to evidence their right to work until 30 June 2021. This ensures those who are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme but have not yet obtained status can continue to evidence their right to work.More information is available on Gov.uk and we have a comprehensive programme of engagement with businesses of all sizes, across the UK, to ensure they fully understand their obligations as employers of EU citizens.Further guidance on right to work checks after 30 June 2021 will be issued in due course.

Visas: Sponsorship

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it will be possible to sponsor a migrant if they are paid less than £20,480 (a) under the New Entrant rate, (b) in a Shortage Occupation role or (c) in any other circumstances.

Kevin Foster: The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February.Following advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the Government will reduce the general salary threshold for skilled workers from £30,000 to £25,600. There will be a reduced rate for new entrants as well as for those with relevant PhDs and those coming to undertake occupations that are in shortage.In line with MAC advice, the precise thresholds for any occupation will generally be based on data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Employment which will be updated between now and the points-based system coming into operation in January 2021.

Immigrants: Coronavirus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether additional support will be given to people with the Right to Remain in the UK but without access to public funds should they be treated for covid-19.

Kevin Foster: The testing and subsequent treatment for covid-19 have been added to the list of communicable diseases that qualify for free NHS treatment.The Home Office has also put in place a range of measures to support those affected by travel restrictions associated with coronavirus. A dedicated coronavirus immigration helpline has been set up to deal with queries. The freephone number is 0800 678 1767 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Radicalism

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on tackling the increase in right-wing extremism.

Victoria Atkins: This Government is committed to tackling Right Wing Extremism.The Home Secretary works closely with the Minister for Countering Extremism, Baroness Williams of Trafford, and Ministers across government to tackle extremism, including the threat of Right Wing Extremism.The Government’s Counter-Extremism and CONTEST strategies address the threat from Right Wing Extremism and Right Wing Terrorism respectively and drive a cross-government approach to tackling these issues. Government continues to monitor all emerging evidence related to Right Wing Extremism, including the analysis of the Extremism Analysis Unit.

Migration: Overseas Students

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to maintain a net migration target (a) including and (b) excluding international students.

Kevin Foster: As my Rt Hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, has repeatedly made clear, the Government is not in a numbers game in respect of net migration.

Refugees: Climate Change

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential increase in refugees as a result of loss of land due to rising sea levels.

Chris Philp: Climate change is not recognised under the 1951 Refugee Convention and, therefore, cannot be used as a justification for requesting or granting international protection.Climate change is a reality that requires greater and more coordinated adaptation and mitigation planning.

Asylum

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on organising meetings for people seeking asylum in the UK with Government officials of their home countries.

Chris Philp: In line with our legal and international obligations, we do not share information on people seeking asylum in the UK with the Government officials of their home country or seek information in a way that could expose them, or any family who remain in that country, to serious risk.It is Home Office policy to conduct re-documentation interviews with officials from receiving countries where an asylum claim has failed and all rights of appeal have been exhausted. These interviews are necessary to establish nationality and identity, and to enable a travel document to be produced to facilitate return, and are a standard part of the Home Office returns process. We do not disclose that the individual has claimed asylum

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons officials of UK Visas and Immigration attend Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority inspections of farms under the Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of officials of UK Visas and Immigration attending Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority inspections of farms under the Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme on the propensity of workers to report abuse and exploitation.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to tackling all forms of labour abuse and exploitation.The responsibility to inspect locations under the Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme lies with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), not the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).GLAA officers accompany UKVI on such visits to provide them with information, advice and guidance including in the context of the GLAA licensing scheme and whether there is evidence of exploitative practice.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the budget of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority commensurate with the expansion of the Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme.

Victoria Atkins: The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority’s future budget requirements will be subject to the Spending Review process.

Domestic Abuse: Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the provision of specialist support services for children affected by domestic abuse.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials of HM Treasury on the long-term funding of specialist support services for children affected by domestic abuse.

Victoria Atkins: The Domestic Abuse Bill, as introduced on 3 March, includes a new statutory duty on tier one local authorities in England to provide support to victims of domestic abuse, and their children, within safe accommodation.We are working with our colleagues across Government, including HM Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to ensure that the resources needed to implement the provisions in the Bill are prioritised as part of the next spending review period from 2021/22.In the Government’s further response to the Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill (CP 214), also published on 3 March, we indicated that the Domestic Abuse Commissioner has agreed to undertake an in-depth exploration of the current community-based support landscape to help us better understand the existing routes by which these services are commissioned and funded. The Government will then work with the Commissioner to understand the needs identified and develop options on how best to address them.

Wales Office

Public Expenditure: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to paragraph 1.161 on page 50 of the 2020 Budget Red Book, if he will publish a detailed breakdown by individual Budget 2020 policy announcement of the consequential funding being made available to the Welsh Government totalling £360 million.

Simon Hart: The following provides a summary of some of the key drivers of Barnett consequentials, and outlines a selection of the main elements. Measure – WG (£m)Category2020-21Building Safety Fund (MHCLG)CDEL58.9Business rates measures (Local Gov)RDEL45.1DHSC capital funding (DHSC)CDEL40.2Nurse recruitment, training and retention (DHSC)RDEL37.6Potholes Fund (DfT)CDEL29.4

Public Expenditure: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to paragraph 1.161 on page 50 of the 2020 Budget Red Book, whether the additional funding allocated to deal with the covid-19 outbreak will result in consequential funding for the Welsh Government and NHS in addition to the £360 million announced for the Welsh Government; and when that funding will be made available.

Simon Hart: The covid-19 outbreak is an ongoing situation. The Government will make an announcement shortly in relation to further funding for the Welsh Government to deal with the outbreak.

Cabinet Office

Prime Minister: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether all of the Prime Minister's special advisers had developed vetting level security clearance as of 2 March 2020.

Chloe Smith: As with all civil servants, special advisers are subject to National Security Vetting. Vetting requirements are determined for each role on a case by case basis.

Homelessness: Death

Christian Matheson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of homeless deaths in the UK from members of (a) an ethnic minority group and (b) the LGBTQ population in each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 61.19 KB)

Polling Stations: Schools

Luke Pollard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many primary schools were closed on 12 December 2019 and used as polling stations.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many children could not attend their school on 12 December 2019 as a result of their school building being used as a polling station.

Chloe Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Elections: Visual Impairment

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government is making on plans to make voting more accessible for people with sight loss.

Chloe Smith: It is right that provisions should be in place to ensure accessible, fair and secure elections so everyone who is eligible to vote can do so with confidence.The Government has been working with the Accessibility of Elections Working Group, and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to identify solutions to improve the accessibility of voting for people with sight loss.This has included recent testing, in partnership with the RNIB, of potential solutions. Initial testing has been positive and we are looking to carry out further testing in due course.

Engineering: Females

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of female engineers employed in the energy sector.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Government has made of the number of women employed in STEM roles in (a) Rother Valley, (b) Rotherham and (c) South Yorkshire in the latest period for which data is available.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of women employed in engineering roles in (a) Rother Valley, (b) Rotherham and (c) South Yorkshire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of women employed in energy sector roles in (a) Rother Valley, (b) Rotherham and (c) South Yorkshire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 133.5 KB)

New Businesses: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many business start-ups there have been in Romford constituency since 2015.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 83.9 KB)

Treasury

EU Budget: Contributions

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of UK payments due to the EU under the withdrawal agreement in each of the next five financial years.

Jesse Norman: The OBR publish a five year forecast of UK payments to the EU at each fiscal event in their Economic and Fiscal Outlook. Their most recent forecast was published at the time of the Spring Budget on 11 March 2020 and can be found at: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2020/

Child Benefit

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to enable child benefit claims to be split between parents.

Steve Barclay: At present, the law provides for Child Benefit to be paid to one parent only. The parent who claims Child Benefit can voluntarily choose to pay an agreed proportion to the other parent. Where parents separate and both have care of their child, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) encourages them to agree who should claim Child Benefit. Where they cannot reach an agreement, the law allows HMRC to decide, at their discretion, who should receive the payment. Currently there are no plans to change the law to split payments of Child Benefit where parents have separated and share care of their children. The government believes that directing payment to the person mainly responsible for the child best ensures that the money goes to the person most likely to bear the weight of everyday care and expenditure.

Aggregates Levy: Northern Ireland

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of Aggregates Levy revenues collected by HMRC from quarries and sandpits in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: During the last five financial years HMRC collected the following total cash receipts for the Aggregates Levy (AGL) from UK taxpayers: 2014/15 = £342 million2015/16 = £356 million2016/17 = £374 million2017/18 = £376 million2018/19 = £367 million HMRC publish this information within the Aggregates Levy Bulletin:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/aggregates-levy-bulletin No disaggregation of AGL receipts collected from quarries and sandpits in Northern Ireland is available, as this information is not recorded on trader returns or cash receipts.

Aggregates Levy: Northern Ireland

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the revenues accrued from the Aggregates Levy have been spent in Northern Ireland.

Jesse Norman: As with most taxes, the revenue raised from the Aggregates Levy goes into the Consolidated Fund, which is used to finance public services and the Government’s priorities. The Barnett formula is applied in the normal way on all planned changes in UK government departmental budgets. As a result of UK Government decisions at this Budget, the Northern Ireland Executive will benefit from a funding boost of over £210 million, on top of the £430 million additional funding in 2020-21 provided at Spending Round 2019. Taken together, the Northern Ireland Barnett-based block grant will rise to over £13 billion in 2020/21.

Public Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Chart 2.C of Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Budget 2020, what assessment he has made of the cash impact of those spending decisions, by income decile, excluding benefits in kind from public services.

Steve Barclay: The Chancellor’s assessment of the cash impact of tax and welfare decisions is shown in Chart 2.C, of “Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Budget 2020”, where it is presented alongside the impact of benefits-in-kind from public services. Taking into account spending on public services provides a more complete picture of Government policy, as it is an important element of the overall support provided by the government to households.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Sponsorship

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure major sporting events are not sponsored by online gambling companies.

Nigel Huddleston: Gambling sponsorship of major events, and sport in general, must be socially responsible and must never be targeted at children or vulnerable people. The government has made clear that sporting bodies and event organisers must consider their responsibilities to fans and the wider community when entering commercial arrangements. Some major event organisers will have rules about only accepting sponsors that align with the events values or in some cases choose not to target the gambling sector at all for sponsorship.

Lotteries: Regulation

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) voluntary and (b) statutory limits are imposed on the online purchase of (i) lottery tickets and (ii) scratch cards in relation to the (A) National Lottery, (B) Postcode Lottery, (C) Health Lottery and (D) other lotteries.

Nigel Huddleston: There are no statutory price or volume limits on the online purchase of lottery products. The National Lottery operator has voluntarily set limits on both draw-based and instant-win games for players using its online services. It has set a spend limit of £750 per week and an account deposit limit of £350 per week. An account can play up to 75 instant win games per day. Players are also able to set personal, tighter limits if they so wish. The People’s Postcode Lottery does not sell instant win games. It voluntarily limits on the online purchase of Lottery tickets to three entries per month, totaling £30. The Health Lottery’s instant win games have a spend limit of £500 per day. Their draw-based game has a limit of £80 per person for any single lottery. Their QuickWin online game has a limit of £400 per week with a day cap of £75. All their online games have a deposit limit of £500 per day, and a restriction on deposits where the account balance exceeds £2000.

Gambling: Regulation

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of imposing a maximum purchase price for fixed odds betting via scratchcards.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government does not have any plans to impose a maximum purchase price for scratchcards. The 2016 Health Survey found that lottery products are low risk, with scratchcards having a problem gambling rate of 1.8%. The Secretary of State’s directions to the Gambling Commission state that National Lottery games should have sufficient controls to prevent excessive play. They also require the Commission to ensure that the price of games, in the opinion of the Commission, are not unreasonably high.The National Lottery’s player protection policies can be found in the Consumer Protection Strategy. Some society lottery operators also offer scratchcards, either physically through retailers or online. Society lottery operators are required to have and put into effect policies and procedures to promote socially responsible gambling.

Lotteries: Licensing

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is his policy for the Gambling Commission to remain the regulator for lottery licencing competition.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that delays to the bidding process for the National Lottery licence will not affect the new license starting in 2023.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of running the National Lottery as a not-for-profit enterprise.

Nigel Huddleston: The Gambling Commission is the UK’s independent statutory body responsible for awarding the licence to run the National Lottery. The current National Lottery licence expires in 2023, and the Commission remains on track to appoint an operator to take on the new licence from this date. The competition is expected to commence in the first half of 2020, with the successful applicant being announced in 2021. The Commission is encouraged by the healthy level of market interest, from a wide range of interested parties, and will welcome as many applications as possible to the competition, including not-for-profit enterprises. I am looking forward to a robust competition that draws in a wide range of applicants to ensure the continued success of our National Lottery for the next 25 years and beyond.

National Lottery

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much money has been (a) pledged and (b) distributed to good causes by the National Lottery; and what estimate he has made of the average length of time of delays in the distribution of that money in each of the last five years.

Nigel Huddleston: The National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) receives and distributes monies generated by the National Lottery for good causes. Information on good cause money that has been pledged (also known as grant liabilities and commitments) and distributed (drawdown) by Lottery Distributing Bodies (LDBs) can be found in the NLDF Annual Report and Accounts. The NLDF always holds a balance to cover future grant commitments made by LDBs and to mitigate any risk of good cause income falling. Lottery distributors receive money from the NLDF on a weekly or monthly basis to enable them to meet their grant commitments. 



National Lottery Distribution Fund Report
(PDF Document, 3.28 MB)

National Lottery: Licensing

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to publish a timescale for the renewal of the National Lottery licence.

Nigel Huddleston: The current National Lottery licence expires in 2023, and the Gambling Commission remains on track to appoint an operator to take on the new licence from this date. The competition is expected to commence in the first half of 2020, with the successful applicant being announced in 2021.The Gambling Commission is providing regular updates on progress with the competition on the 4NLC website at https://www.4nlc.com/home.aspx.

National Lottery: Grants

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much National Lottery funding has been allocated to each constituency; and what projects have received that funding in each of the last three years.

Nigel Huddleston: Information on National Lottery funding awards up to January 2018 is held on a publicly available database which allows searches to be made for good cause grants in each constituency within specific timeframes.We expect to update the database with grant information from January 2018 to March 2020 later this Spring.

Telecommunications: Planning Permission

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether Openreach agreed to the Cabinet and Pole Siting Code of Practice 2013.

Matt Warman: BT Group, the parent company of Openreach, are signatories to the Cabinet and Pole Siting Code of Best Practice, along with The Planning Officers’ Society, Historic England, the UK Competitive Telecoms Association, Virgin Media and National Parks England. The Cabinet and Pole Siting Code of Best Practice was agreed in 2013 and revised in November 2016.

Tourism: Coronavirus

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the situation relating to covid-19, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing emergency financial support for the tourism sector.

Nigel Huddleston: We are aware that the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting businesses across many sectors and that the tourism sector has been significantly impacted.I regularly engage with stakeholders in the tourism sector and across Government on this developing issue. My Department and VisitBritain have organised two meetings between the industry and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and VisitBritain are organising weekly meetings with industry. I will continue to monitor its impact on the sector and would urge tourism businesses to share information with VisitBritain.The Government announced a range of measures in the Budget to provide economic support for affected businesses, including SMEs in the tourism and hospitality sector. I also discussed this matter in detail with my counterparts from the Devolved Administrations last week.